VHS -> PC -> DVDR..... Newbie needs advice plz!

[stu_m]

I'm reading through some old posts on here looking for advice but thought I'd post anyway to see if I can get some more advice. My aim is to transfer some good quality VHS (boxing) to DVD using my WinTV Go card but would like to get the finished DVD as close in quality to the tapes as possible.

Heres what I've got so far for the task:

System:
Athlon XP 1800, 512 DDR, Maxtor 80Gb @ 7200, Nforce 2 mobo, WinTV Go PCI, and am waiting on a 2x Pioneer DVD-R drive to be delivered.

Software:
VirtualDub VCR (apparently its an improvement on the normal version?)
TMPGENC (think thats right?)
Divx 4 & 5 codecs
HuffyUV codec


NOW, I'd be v.grateful if anyone can take a shot at the following questions for me:

- Can I do this given my hardware/software spec above?

- Is avi capture in virtualdub then conversion in TMP the best route to take? I read on another thread that PowerVCR/Ulead VS will allow me to capture from VHS direct to Mpeg2, is that correct & recommended?

- Am I correct that VHS (PAL) is 640x480 @25fps? If so, is that the res I should capture at, then convert to dvd res, or should I be capturing in dvd res regardless?

- Finally can someone suggest a quick virtualdub config to use, ie
which codec (or none), sound quality, resolution, any suggested tweaks?


Thanks for your help all!

[texneus]

I can't answer your questions directly, but I can suggest you consider a set-top box DVD Recorder. The Sony and Panasonic models are both generally highly recommended. I can speak from experience with the Sony RDR-GX7 that it's noise reduction, time base correction, and video "tweak" circuitry on the inputs will produce a DVD that is superior to the VHS original. Except for formating and finalizing the disc, it's just as easy and just as fast to do as making a VHS to VHS dub.

I can answer your resolution question though. VHS is analog, it has no resolution in the sense that it has pixels. Resolution in this case refferes to how close can two lines be placed together and still be "resolved" as two seperate lines. You should capture using DVD resolution and avoid the conversion process. Aliasing will not be an issue.

[hech54]

I agree with tex....buy a DVD Recorder...save yourself LOTS of headaches and maybe even some money....DVD Recorders are pretty cheap nowadays.